WICHITA, Kan. — Hospitality companies who bought loans by an emergency reduction fund in Kansas in the beginning of the pandemic will now not must repay the cash, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly stated Tuesday.

Funding offered by the Hospitality Business Aid Emergency Fund has been transformed from bridge loans to grants, the governor stated. This system was initially envisioned as a working capital mortgage program. Companies which have made repayments will likely be reimbursed.

The fund was established final 12 months to supply speedy assist to Kansas hospitality companies confronted with income losses because of COVID-19. In complete, $5 million went to 344 companies statewide, in accordance the governor’s workplace.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

Drug executives inform Congressional listening to an increase in vaccine provide is coming quickly. The White Home says states will get 14.5M doses of vaccine this week. Some British rush to e book holiday plans amid plans to steadily finish lockdown. Russia’s vaccine rollout picks up pace however specialists say it is nonetheless shifting slowly. “One Good Factor” keeps on giving to these in want, helpers.

— Comply with all of AP’s pandemic protection at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut financial improvement officers say hundreds of latest residents have come to the state throughout the coronavirus pandemic with employees in New York, Boston and elsewhere look to relocate as they earn a living from home. The state Division of Financial and Neighborhood Improvement says greater than 16,500 new residents moved into the state in 2020. That compares to a lack of 7,520 residents from Connecticut in 2019.

“Individuals are rediscovering the Connecticut way of life just a little bit and realizing what it means to have just a little bit of additional area, perhaps just a little little bit of a yard,” Gov. Ned Lamont stated. “In the event you assume this might not be the final time we ever must quarantine, Connecticut’s not a nasty place to be.”

Carol Christiansen, the president of the Connecticut Affiliation of Realtors, stated Connecticut dwelling costs have risen by about 20% over the previous 12 months, with fewer homes available on the market than individuals seeking to purchase.

The median sale worth for Connecticut single-family dwelling in 2020 was an all-time excessive $300,000, a 15.4% enhance from 2019, in keeping with a report earlier this month from The Warren Group, which tracks actual property information throughout the nation.

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ROME — The Republic of San Marino, a metropolis state surrounded by Italy, is welcoming the arrival of the primary 7,500 Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccines after its plans to get European Union-approved doses from Italy bought delayed.

A pink and yellow truck escorted by police automobiles introduced the vaccines throughout the frontier into San Marino on Tuesday. Ultimately, officers stated the Russian doses will likely be sufficient to vaccinate some 15% of the microstate’s inhabitants of round 33,800.

San Marino needed to resort to what officers referred to as their “Plan B” and purchase Sputnik pictures after an settlement to have Italy ship a proportion of the vaccines it acquired by way of the European Union procurement system bought delayed. San Marino isn’t an EU member, and as such was excluded from the quotas negotiated by the EU with pharmaceutical corporations.

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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden says the administration expects to ship tens of millions of masks to individuals across the nation “very shortly.”

Such a plan was thought-about and dropped by Donald Trump’s administration.

Biden didn’t present particulars, together with value, timing and the kind of masks to be shipped. The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The president confirmed the plan throughout a digital roundtable dialogue Tuesday with 4 Black important employees: a St. Louis firefighter and EMT, a Chicago pharmacist, a child-care heart worker in Columbus, Ohio, and a grocery retailer district supervisor in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Biden has requested everybody to put on face masks for the primary 100 days of his time period. He additionally required mask-wearing in federal buildings and on public transportation.

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WASHINGTON — Coronavirus vaccine makers inform Congress to count on a giant enhance within the supply of doses over the approaching month.

The businesses indicated at a listening to they will present sufficient vaccine for many Individuals by summer time. By the tip of March, Pfizer and Moderna count on to have offered the U.S. authorities with a complete of 220 million vaccine doses, up from the roughly 75 million shipped to this point.

That’s not counting a 3rd vaccine, from Johnson & Johnson, which is anticipated to get approval from regulators quickly.

Looking forward to summer time, Pfizer and Moderna count on to finish supply of 300 million doses every, and J&J goals to supply a further 100 million doses. That might be greater than sufficient to vaccinate each American grownup, the purpose set by the Biden administration.

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MADRID — Spain has registered 7,461 new coronavirus instances and 443 extra deaths.

The 14-day an infection price has decreased from almost 900 instances to 235 per 100,000 residents in lower than a month. That’s moved Spain from the “excessive threat” degree to “excessive threat.”

However with hospitals and their intensive care models nonetheless grappling with excessive ranges of occupation, well being authorities have warned the speed of contagion must decrease earlier than restrictions are lifted.

Though it has taken Spain seven weeks to completely vaccinate 1.2 million individuals and administer the primary of two pictures to almost 2 million, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated Tuesday the nation remains to be in monitor to vaccinate 20 million by the tip of June and 33 million by the tip of summer time.

The nation has reached a complete of three.1 million instances and 68,000 confirmed deaths.

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MONTREAL — Quebec will start vaccinating its basic inhabitants aged 85 years and older beginning subsequent week.

Premier Francois Legault says anybody born in 1936 or earlier than can start registering for an injection on Thursday. Legault says authorities will give attention to vaccinating individuals within the larger Montreal space due to the excessive variety of infections within the area.

He made the announcement at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, the location of one of many future mass vaccination clinics. Canada has had scarcity of vaccines in current weeks. But it surely acquired 643,000 Pfizer and Moderna doses this week and expects to get 6 million earlier than the tip of March and 29 million by July.

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ROME — Officers have accelerated the coronavirus vaccination schedule within the northern Italian province of Brescia and imposed powerful new lockdown restrictions after the world recorded a spike of infections blamed on the British variant.

Guido Bertolaso, accountable for the regional vaccination marketing campaign, advised the Lombardy regional council Tuesday that “the third wave is below means in Brescia.” He introduced a focused and accelerated vaccination marketing campaign to attempt to cease the Brescia cluster, together with utilizing a delayed second dose so extra of the inhabitants of round 120,000 individuals may get a primary shot.

All faculties had been ordered closed in Brescia and a few neighboring cities, with extra restrictions on private motion.

Italy added 356 extra deaths to its official COVID-19 toll and 13,314 confirmed infections, in step with its common in current weeks. Italy has registered 2.Eight million complete instances and greater than 96,000 confirmed deaths, sixth highest on the earth.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a $7.6 billion coronavirus reduction package deal. The brand new legal guidelines will give not less than $600 one-time funds to five.7 million individuals whereas setting apart greater than $2 billion in grants for struggling small companies.

Newsom signed the legislation as Congress is debating a a lot bigger stimulus package deal for the nation. California’s stimulus package deal will give as much as $25,000 grants to small companies with revenues between $1,000 and $2.5 million.

Most individuals will get the $600 funds by claiming the California earned earnings tax credit score on their state tax returns.

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PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered the reducing of flags for 5 days beginning Tuesday to honor the hundreds of lives misplaced because of the coronavirus.

Arizona’s dying toll from the coronavirus handed 15,000 final week. Nationwide, the virus has killed greater than 500,000 Individuals.

Arizona on Tuesday reported 1,184 extra instances and 148 confirmed deaths, growing the state’s pandemic totals to 810,658 instances and 15,650 confirmed deaths.

The variety of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and rolling seven-day every day averages of latest instances and deaths have continued a downward development.

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GENEVA — The top of the World Well being Group is criticizing the shortage of entry to coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poor.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says, “Greater than 210 nations are but to manage a single dose.” Tedros spoke at an occasion organized by the charity World Citizen, whose points embody the coronavirus and local weather change.

“Vaccines will assist to deliver the pandemic below management, however we’ll nonetheless be left with lots of the identical issues that existed earlier than,” Tedros says.

John Kerry, the U.S. Particular Presidential Envoy for Local weather, stated no nation by itself may remedy such issues. He described the upcoming November assembly on local weather change in Glasgow as “our final greatest probability to get on monitor and get the job performed.”

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WASHINGTON — States will obtain about 14.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week, marking a virtually 70% enhance in distribution of doses over the past month, White Home press secretary Jen Psaki stated Tuesday.

Restricted provide of the 2 accepted COVID-19 vaccines has hampered the tempo of vaccinations — and that was earlier than excessive winter climate delayed the supply of about 6 million doses this previous week.

The variety of doses states will obtain will enhance from the 8.6 million per week they acquired throughout Biden’s first week in workplace. Final week, the White Home introduced that states would obtain 13.5 million doses of the vaccine.

The White Home introduced final week that it’s within the technique of doubling to 2 million the variety of doses despatched on to pharmacies. Psaki additionally famous White Home coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients advised governors on Tuesday that pharmacies will see a rise in allocation by about 100,000 doses this week.

President Joe Biden has stated that each American who desires a vaccination can get one by the tip of July.

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ALBANY, N.Y. — Madison Sq. Backyard and Barclays Heart will permit a whole bunch of followers to attend some sports activities and leisure occasions beginning Tuesday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has introduced stadiums and arenas with a capability of 10,000 individuals or extra can reopen with restricted spectators for sports activities and leisure. Each outside and indoor arenas can reopen at 10% of their regular capability.

Barclays Heart has about 17,700 seats for basketball video games and plans to fill 300 seats. The New York Knicks and New York Rangers say they plan to host about 2,000 followers at Madison Sq. Backyard, which has a most capability of about 20,000. All workers and spectators should obtain a destructive coronavirus lab take a look at inside 72 hours of the occasion.

The plan has drawn concern from public well being specialists who level to excessive charges of COVID-19 infections, the upper threat of transmission indoors and the specter of extra contagious variants.

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WASHINGTON — The highest builders of U.S. COVID-19 vaccines are dealing with questions from Congress about restricted provides of the pictures wanted to finish the pandemic.

The tempo of vaccinations is choosing up nationwide, however demand for the pictures continues to outpace restricted provides distributed by the U.S. authorities. The Power and Commerce Committee panel started listening to testimony from the 5 corporations with contracts to provide COVID-19 pictures to the U.S. — Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax.

Johnson & Johnson revealed forward of the listening to that preliminary provides of its one-shot vaccine will likely be restricted to 20 million doses by the tip of March. The corporate plans to inform lawmakers it faces “vital challenges” in scaling up manufacturing.

Nevertheless, federal well being officers say a complete of 700 million doses remains to be slated for supply by late July. That might be sufficient to achieve the purpose of offering sufficient pictures for each American grownup.

The pandemic has killed greater than 500,000 Individuals.

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LONDON — Britons rushed to e book abroad holidays after Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled plans to slowly ease a nationwide lockdown.

That boosted optimism that journey restrictions will likely be eliminated in time for the summer time vacation season. TUI, the U.Okay.’s largest tour operator stated bookings elevated six-fold Monday, the corporate’s busiest day in additional than a month.

Low cost airline easyJet stated demand for flights greater than tripled, and package deal vacation firm Thomas Prepare dinner stated site visitors on its web site elevated 75%.

Nonetheless many enterprise leaders had been dissatisfied on the gradual tempo of re-opening of some sectors, with some restrictions anticipated to stay in place till June 21.

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